


Of Robots and Rocketships

by this_book_has_been_loved



Series: Platonic VLD Week [11]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (in the last chapter), (the first two are just fun and fluff), Alternate Universe, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kind of a childhood friends AU?, Lance literally doesn’t show up till chapter 3 tho lol, Pidge is 12 Hunk is 15, Prompt: Color/Darkness, Prompt: Lion/Lamb, Prompt: Pranks/Tricks, except not really childhood cuz it’s only like a year before the Kerberos launch, high school robotics competition, the first two-thirds of this story is just Hunk&Pidge and sometimes Matt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-17 06:42:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14183136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/this_book_has_been_loved/pseuds/this_book_has_been_loved
Summary: In which Hunk and Pidge meet each other and become friends before Voltron, before the Garrison, before Kerberos, back when everything was still normal





	1. Chapter 1

Hunk had forgotten his water bottle.

He’d packed his favorite one in preparation for the trip, the extra-large one that could keep the ice frozen all day. He’d filled it up this morning before breakfast, setting it on the counter in his hotel room while he dug around for his card key, then had rushed out the door when he saw the time.

Despite having been up before the sun, he had been running late.

Or, perhaps, it was more _because_ of his lack of sleep.

Normally, he would have slept in later. But today was a day that he’d been anticipating for _months_ now.

The southwest regional FIRST robotics competition.

Hunk’s team had been preparing for this for ages, since the theme and the task had been announced at the beginning of the season. A freshman in high school, this would be his first competition, and he was nearly buzzing with excitement.

The competition was in Phoenix, Arizona, and Hunk’s team had made the long 7-hour drive out from Southern California the day before, spending the night in a hotel a few blocks away from the local university that would be hosting the competition this year.

He’d been jittery all morning, humming during the ride over, bouncing up and down on his toes as he and the rest of his team loaded everything they needed into the massive college gymnasium where the matches would be held, tapping his fingers incessantly against his leg. The first rounds were just starting when Hunk really started to get antsy. He stood off to the side of his team’s encampment, glancing between their rig (still functioning properly, thank god), and his teammates (just standing around? Didn’t they realize that their division was starting in only an hour?!), and the other teams (there were so many of them, he wasn’t sure how they were supposed to compete against so many other teams), and—

Break. He needed a break. He needed to get away from the action, breathe a bit, drink some water—

Right.

Which is how he ended up in the nearly empty snack store in the student union building, across the quad from the school’s gymnasium, a water bottle in hand, staring at the contraption on a counter by the freezer section.

_A milkshake machine._

He had seen these before, but never had the chance to actually use one.  
A cup of ice cream, taken from the freezer, then one of the three little machines on the table would mix the ice cream into a milkshake.

It was almost like magic.

Hunk steepled his fingers, gazing into the freezer window with a look of intense concentration.

It was stocked full in preparation for the huge amounts of traffic on the campus that day. Rows and rows of ice cream cups sat lined up, in all sorts of different flavors, from strawberry to cookie dough to—

“Dude,” a voice said from behind him. “You gonna pick one?”

Hunk whirled around, turning to face the figure who had spoken. It was a girl, nearly two heads shorter than him. She raised an eyebrow at him, standing with one hand on her hip, her caramel-brown hair pulled back into a messy ponytail on the side of her head.

“Oh, sorry!” he said, blushing as he stepped aside. “It’s just a very thought-provoking decision. Do I go for the classic cookies-and-cream? Or something a little different, like the mint chocolate chip? Or maybe just a simple chocolate—” At the sound of her light chuckle, he stopped himself, his blush only deepening. “Sorry, I’m rambling.”

The girl shook her head, smiling, as she stepped past him to open the freezer door. “Want my suggestion?” she said, reaching in to pull out one of the frosted cups. She closed the glass door, holding up the cup triumphantly. “Peanut butter fudge swirl,” she said confidently. “No question about it.”

Hunk nodded appreciatively. “A little rich,” he commented. “But I’ll take it.” He reopened the freezer, pulling out another cup identical to hers, then followed her to the milkshake machine.

As they waited for their shakes to mix, Hunk studied his newfound companion. She wore jeans and a bright orange t-shirt, their team name _Galactica_ printed on it in blocky charcoal-colored letters above an image of a space invader sprite.

“You here for the robotics comp?” he asked.

“Yep,” she replied, popping the ‘p’. “You too?”

“Yeah. I’m Hunk, by the way,” he said, holding out a hand.

If she was thrown off by his nickname, she didn’t show it, merely reaching out to return the handshake. “Katie.”

“Nice to meet you, Katie.”

When their shakes were ready, walked back across the quad together. Hunk was feeling considerably better than he had been a half hour ago, the anxious knot in his stomach starting to unravel. 

He glanced again at his companion, walking beside him in relaxed silence.

“So where are you guys from?” he asked.

“Not too far, actually,” she replied. “Flagstaff.”

“Oh wow, you didn’t even have to leave the state.”

Katie laughed. “Yep.” She paused, taking a sip from her milkshake. “What about you?”

“Long Beach,” he told her. “California.”

“Oh, cool. That’s gotta be, what, six hours away?”

“Seven,” he corrected.

“Jeez. At least it’s not as far as it could have been.”

He let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah.”

When he started to head back towards where his team was set up, she walked with him. They passed by one of the ongoing matches, pausing to lean on the railings and watch as two bots raced across the floor, systematically stacking rows of foam blocks. 

“Has your team gone yet?” Katie asked, still watching the match intently.

“Not yet,” he replied. “Still about an hour till our first round.”

She hummed. “You nervous?”

“A bit,” he confessed. “You?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I’ve had butterflies in my stomach all morning.”

He winced sympathetically. “Me too.”

“Glad I’m not the only one,” she replied, exhaling deeply. She took another long sip from her milkshake, then turned to toss the empty cup towards a nearby trash can.

“So,” Hunk started, “not that I’m not enjoying the company, cuz I definitely am, but shouldn’t you be hanging out with your own team?”

“I’m avoiding them,” she replied simply. “See, they have this tradition of pranking the newest member during the first competition of the year. And this year, that’s me.” She leaned back against the railing, looking across the room full of people towards a group in orange t-shirts identical to her own. She smirked, then turned back to Hunk and winked. “But I’m always one step ahead.”

“That’s...I’ll be honest, that’s not entirely comforting. Um, what exactly do you mean by that?”

Katie snickered. “Chill out, dude, don’t worry about it. I have an inside source.”

“An inside source?”

“My older brother is the team mentor,” she explained, rolling her eyes. “And back when he was a student, they did it to him. He told me years ago, and I doubt their traditions have changed in the past nine years. _Especially_ since my brother’s still around.”

“Ah. Well, good luck with that?”

She snorted. “Thanks.”

“But your brother’s the team mentor? That’s so cool.”

“Yeah, he’s a dork. But it’s great, since he has so much experience with the team already. And back when he was still a student, our dad was the team mentor. It’s kind of a family tradition at this point.”

“That’s so cool,” he said again.

They fell back into companionate silence, watching the match play out before them. It was a couple minutes later when they were interrupted by a yell.

“Hunk!”

Hunk turned in surprise, looking in the direction the voice had come from. There was a boy running over towards them, olive green shirt identical to Hunk’s, sandy hair sticking up in a disheveled mess.

“Michael?” Hunk asked, frowning. “What’s up?”

Michael stopped as he reached the pair, sparing a quick glance at Katie before focusing on Hunk. “We need your help,” he said. “Something’s wrong with the bot.”

Hunk’s eyes widened. “Oh no,” he breathed. He turned to face Katie, an apologetic look on his face. “I’m sorry, it’s been great talking with you, but I have to check this out.”

“Right,” she said. “Of course. Um. Mind if I tag along?” she smiled hesitantly.

Michael raised an eyebrow “Who…?”

“Sure,” Hunk said in a rush. “Yeah, that’d be great!” He looked back at Michael, nodding decisively. “Show us.”

* * *

Katie stood with her hands on her hips, her orange shirt in stark contrast with the green of Hunk’s teammates. He’d introduced them all to her in a rush, but she’d forgotten most of them already.

“It’s moving too slow,” a dark-haired girl—Rebecca?—explained as they watched the bot scutter around. “I don’t know what happened, it was working fine an hour ago.”

“Probably a programming error,” Michael muttered. “It’s always a programming error.”

“Hey,” Rebecca snapped. “You guys say that all the time, but it’s always something wrong in electronics instead.”

“Programming makes no sense! It’s so finicky!”

“That...doesn’t look like a programming error,” Katie commented, frowning.

“They never do,” Hunk replied darkly.

“Oh don’t _you_ start too!” Rebecca grumbled, crossing her arms. “My coding isn’t the issue here.”

“Yeah, well it’s not a mechanical issue either,” Michael said with an eyeroll.

Across the circle, Yumi looked up from her laptop. “Guys,” she scolded lightly. She sighed, looking over towards Hunk. “Hunk, can you take a look at this? I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Sure,” he replied. As Michael and Rebecca continued to bicker, he made his way over to where Yumi was sat cross-legged on the floor, taking the laptop from her. 

After a second of deliberation, Katie followed him, sitting down so she could watch over his shoulder. She pursed her lips, watching as he typed away at the laptop. “Are you...only single-modulating the gendocam?”

“It’s a gendocam. Not a vlexagane, okay? Single-modulation is fine.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, no, give me the laptop.” She took it from his hands, pulling it into her lap and looking over the code.

“Hey!” he protested.

“I’m a programmer, Hunk. Believe me, I know a programming error when I see one. And this isn’t it.” She looked up from the laptop, glancing over at Michael and Rebecca. “Run a drive test.”

Michael looked at Hunk questioningly, to which Hunk merely shrugged. Michael sighed. “Okay, here goes.”

Rebecca and Yumi set the bot atop a stack of wooden blocks, suspending it in midair so they could watch the wheels turn. Katie positioned herself lying on the floor directly underneath the bot, calling out commands to Michael as he hit at the bot’s controller, directing it forwards and backwards and left and right and in circles.

“I think it’s a problem with one of the motors,” Katie stated. “Check the signal lights on the spark, what are they doing?”

“They’re both green,” Hunk reported.

“I’m telling you, it’s the programming,” Michael said again.

Katie frowned, thinking to herself. _Come on, Pidge, what else could this be, you live and breath robots, what could be—_ She froze suddenly, eyes widening as she remembered a few years ago, her brother ranting to her, using her in place of a rubber duck, her at eight-years-old only half understanding his ramblings. “The polarities,” she said. “Check the polarities of the wires.”

Hunk frowned, picking up the rig and setting it on its side. He grabbed a screwdriver from the toolbox nearby and began to unscrew one of the panels. “Yeah,” he mumbled after a minute. “Looks like the polarities got reversed? One of the motors was driving opposite of the other.”

“Ha!” Rebecca shouted triumphantly, pointing an accusing finger at Michael. “ _Told you_ it wasn’t an issue with the coding!”

Michael put up his hands in surrender, rolling his eyes. “Whatever.” He glanced over at Katie, giving her a sidelong glance. “How’d you figure that out?”

My brother taught me that,” she replied with a smile. “Our rig is actually using a pretty similar set-up.”

“Really?” Hunk asked, his eyes lighting up. “That’s so cool.”

She hummed. “It’s my dad’s design, really. He used to be the team mentor back when my brother was still a student. So we’re recycling an older design, but hey, it works.”

Hunk chuckled. “Yeah, I actually got the idea from a book I read,” he told her off-handedly.

“Oh?” she looked up, interested. “What book?”

“Ah, _Going Beyond Terrestrial Engineering_ ,” he replied. “It was written by a Garrison engineer, Doctor Samuel Holt, he’s an absolute genius, and his books are really interesting, I highly rec—” He stopped himself abruptly, looking at Katie’s face. She was flushed pink, her eyes had widened to the size of saucers, and she had one hand pressed to her mouth, only barely covering a massive grin. Hunk paused, blinking, before hesitantly asking, “Uh…have you…heard of him?”

She snorted, biting back laugher. “Hunk, I—” She broke off, stifling giggles, and ran her hands through her hair. “Hunk, that’s my _dad_.”

He froze, his eyes widening, the screwdriver he held clattering to the floor.

And Katie burst into peals of laughter, doubling over and clutching at her stomach. “Oh my god,” she gasped. “The look on your face—”

“Wait,” he mumbled. “Your—your _dad?!_ Is _Doctor Holt?!_ ”

She snickered again, before saluting. “You’re looking at future cadet Katherine Holt, daughter of Commander Doctor Samuel Holt,” she proclaimed.

“I….” Hunk brought a hand to his head, staring down at the floor. “Wow. _Wow_.”

Katie grinned, standing up. “Come on,” she said, taking him by the wrist. “You have _got_ to meet my brother.”

“Your brother,” Hunk repeated as he got pulled after her. “Wait, I thought you were avoiding them, cuz of the prank.”

“That’s okay, I’ll just use you as a human shield.”

“Reassuring, thanks.”

She dragged him across the gym, towards a group of people in bright orange shirts identical to her own.

Matt was standing with his back to her, frowning at something on his phone. When they got closer to him, she raised a hand to wave at him. “Matt!”

He turned, eyes widening in relief when he saw her. “There you are! Pidge, where have you been? And….” He paused, taking in the person accompanying her. “Who’s this? You make a friend?”

“Matt, this is Hunk,” she introduced. “He’s read one of dad’s books.”

“I—I’ve read _all_ his work,” Hunk babbled. “Wow, I…I can’t believe this.”

Matt’s eyes had lit up at Katie’s proclamation, and he held out a hand to Hunk. “Really? That’s awesome, man!”

Hunk shook his hand in starstruck wonder. “Thanks. It’s, uh, nice to meet you.”

Matt laughed. “Sucks that Dad couldn’t make it,” he remarked. “He was planning on coming today, but something got in the way. He’d had loved to meet you,” Matt added.

Hunk wasn’t breathing quite right. “He…he’d have…oh.”

Katie giggled again. “Hope we didn’t break you.”

“I’m good,” he squeaked. “I’m good.”

Matt was grinning ear-to-ear. “So what’s your guys’s set up look like?” he asked.

“Well, I actually got a lot of the ideas from your dad’s book,” Hunk confessed. “See, when I read his descriptions of the Garrison’s advancements in rovers—”

* * *

The rest of the competition went by in a blur. Hunk and Katie both had to return to their teams once the matches started rolling. Division after division went by, watching from the sidelines, smiling and waving at each other across the room, saying hi and making faces at each other in passing, making last minute fixes to their bots—

It wasn’t until they were packing up for the day that they had a moment to talk again.

Hunk stopped by their team’s set-up as they were breaking down camp, loading their folding tables and camping chairs onto dollies and carting them out of the gym. “Hey,” he said as he’d came over to stand beside Katie. “We’re about to head back to the hotel,” he told her. “Just wanted to say goodbye first.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks. It was really cool meeting you.”

He flushed. “Yeah. You too.”

They paused a moment, watching as Matt and two of the other kids carried out a folding table.

“How’d the prank go?” Hunk finally asked.

She threw up her hands in exasperation. “Nothing! All day! I’ve been waiting for _hours_ but they haven’t done a damn thing! I’m starting to think that don’t do that anymore? Or maybe they just didn’t plan one for me cuz they thought my brother would tell me? Maybe the prank is that there is no prank!” She ran her hands through her hair. “It’s driving me _nuts_.”

Hunk laughed. 

She glanced at him sidelong, her expression melting into a smile. “I…don’t make friends easily,” Katie told him, rubbing the back of her neck. “So. Thank you.”

He was speechless, looking at her with wide eyes, and she could have sworn they were sparkling. “Of course,” he said. 

Katie bit her bottom lip. “Ya know what,” she mumbled, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out her phone, tapping at the screen to pull up her contacts. “Here,” she said, holding it out to Hunk. “Keep in touch?”

A grin broke across his face. “Yeah, of course!” He pulled out his own phone and they swapped, inputting their own contact info.

“Alright,” he said, handing her phone back to her. “Here. I—“ He paused suddenly, staring at something behind her. “Uh, Katie….”

“What?” She turned, glancing across the room towards what was left of her team’s encampment.

The first thing she noticed was the mini egg carton, held by one of her teammates. Next, the bright pink egg that she held, and the matching orange one held by the person standing beside her.

Katie yelped, grabbing Hunk’s arm and pulling him down with her as she dropped to the floor. “Duck!”

They ducked, and the brightly-colored eggs went sailing over her head, flying smack into the face of the person who’d been standing on the other side of her, just as he stepped back through the gym door.

“Ack!” Matt sputtered as the eggs cracked, spending bursts of confetti everywhere. “What the—Zoe!!”

The girl by the door was flushed bright red, quickly hiding the egg carton behind her back. “It was Alec!”

“What?!” Alec exclaimed, glaring at their companion. “No, we were aiming for Katie—”

Katie laughed. “In your face, Matt! You guys thought you could prank me, but you underestimated my abilities! Woo!!” She jumped, throwing her arms up and cheering.

Matt narrowed his eyes at her. “Oh you are paying for that, little sister,” he threatened. “This is _war_.”

She shrieked as he ran towards her, scooping her up and tossing her over his shoulder. “No! Matt!! Put me down!!!”

“Never!”

Katie kicked her legs, pounding her fists on her brother’s back. “Hunk, I need back up!”

Hunk blinked, watching the proceedings with an increasingly large smile. “Well,” he called out to the siblings. “Um, I should probably get going now. But thanks for everything! And, uh. Good luck?”

“Traitor!”

“Bye, Hunk!” Matt called cheerfully. “Keep in touch, alright?”

“I will!”

As he walked across the gym floor back towards his own team, he thought of the phone tucked away in his pocket, of the contact information for the inexplicable girl he’d met today, transforming the day into something even better than he’d anticipated, the child of the man who’d been his hero for years.

Yes, he decided, smiling wide. He’d be keeping in touch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hunk is a fan of Pidge’s dad and you can pry this headcanon out of my cold dead hands
> 
> Decided to try something a bit different for the first couple days of Platonic VLD week this time around? Instead of 7 unconected oneshots. So the first 3 days are all gonna be for the same multi-chapter fic! (then the other 4 days will be unconnected oneshots, lol)
> 
> I had the basic idea for this a couple weeks ago, cuz my dad (who is an actual aerospace engineer like our dear Sam Holt) and my brother (who is 3 years younger rather than 9 years older like Matt is lol) were out of town for the weekend on a trip to Flagstaff for a regional robotics competition. And I was like “Huh, I bet Pidge and Hunk were both on their high school robotics teams, wouldn’t it be crazy if they met at one once?” And everything just sorta spiraled on from there.  
> I’ve seen quite a few fics that pose the scenario of Pidge and Keith being friends/knowing each other pre-Kerberos, but haven’t really seen anything like that involving the Garrison Trio? so. Here’s this.  
> I know nothing about robotics (my dad and my brother were the science/tech nerds, and I’ve always been the artsy kid) so I got a lot of this information by talking to my friends and family who know more than I do, lol. So shoutouts to Dad, Michael, and Rebecca. None of you read my fics so you won’t even see this, but whatever, thanks for all your help! (Srsly tho my brother Michael was such a godsend, being so patient as I texted him question after question, trying to figure out what the fresh a motor controller was, haha) (Also shoutouts to my friends Sodapop and Alec for helping me come up with a prank that I could work in at the last minute when i suddenly realized that I hadn’t followed the prompt at all lol)
> 
> I’m sorry this is so late; tbh I’m lucky I got it out so soon at all. I started writing this on Tuesday, and my original plan was to finish it over the weekend, but then my laptop decided to just stop working on me out of nowhere, and I’m lucky I even got it to boot up today >.< Computer troubles are an author’s worst enemy, even worse than the beast of Writer’s Block.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy! If all goes according to plan, Part 2 should be up tonight! :D
> 
> Please feel free to come say hi to me on [my Tumblr](http://this-book-has-been-loved.tumblr.com) or [this rad Platonic VLD Discord server I joined (NHYrCz5)](https://discord.gg/NHYrCz5)
> 
> ~Brigit


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The year before Kerberos

It was Katie who texted first.

Two days after the competition (two days of Hunk not wanting to be the first one to say anything cuz would that be seen as too clingy??) his phone went off.

**Katie: hey! how’ve you been? dad said he was sorry he missed you**

A thousand thoughts were running through his head. He stared at the message for a long time, mentally dissecting it, trying to think of how best to respond.

The last part especially stuck out to him, since it implied two very important things: firstly, that Katie (and Matt?) had told their dad about him--and secondly, that Dr Holt actually wanted to meet him.

Hunk took a deep breath, quelling his thoughts, before starting to type out a response.

**Hunk: Hi! I’ve been pretty good, you? And I’m sorry your dad couldn’t make it too; maybe next time?**

Okay. That was good, right? Open, friendly, not too eager—

He was taking this too seriously.

He flopped over backwards onto his bed with a groan. Why was this so hard?

**Katie: unfortunately ‘next time’ isnt until next year unless youre going to robocup**

**Hunk: I don’t think so :/**

**Katie: boo**

They went on like that a little longer, making small talk about the little things, the things they already knew about each other. After about half an hour, the conversation dwindled to a stop. And it was days before it was picked up again.

It started that way at first: brief conversations, making general small talk, testing the waters. As the months went by, they got more and more comfortable with each other; by the time winter melted into spring, they were texting nearly every day, about the smallest things.

* * *

**Katie: what about ur dad?**

**Hunk: Oh actually I don’t have one**

**Katie: oh shoot im sorry**

**Hunk: No that’s not what I meant XD I don’t have a dad cuz I have two moms**

**Katie: OH**

* * *

“So who’s Katie?”

Hunk glanced up at his mom in surprise. “What?”

She gestured towards his phone, which was sitting on the table a foot away from him while he read. “You got a text message, sweetie.”

Hunk lunged for his phone, opening the message in a rush.

**Katie: random question: star wars or star trek?**

“It’s that girl he met at the competition back in Flagstaff,” Mama called from the next room.

“Phoenix,” Hunk corrected offhandedly. “Flagstaff is where her school was from.”

**Hunk: Aw come on, you can’t make me choose!**

**Katie: help me win an argument against my brother**

**Katie: help me obi wan kenobi youre my only hope**

“Oh, you made a friend?” Mom continued. “That’s great! What’s she like?”

“Um,” Hunk mumbled, still distracted. “Well, she likes peanut butter. And peanut butter cookies? But not peanuts, she says they’re too dry.”

**Hunk: I’m sorry Katie, I’m going to have to go with Star Trek. The tribbles episode owns my soul**

**Katie: I CANT BELIEVE THIS**

“Oh!” Hunk added with a smile, setting his phone down and giving his mom a starry-eyed look. “And you’ll never guess who her dad is!”

* * *

**Hunk: So...what’s up?**

**Katie: i am eating peanut butter by the spoonful and i couldnt be happier**

**Hunk: Sounds like a day well spent :P**

* * *

Mid-February, Katie was in class, her phone in her lap hidden under her desk. She and Hunk only had an hour difference in time zones, but that still lead to schedule conflicts. Hunk had texted her when he got out for lunch; Katie, an hour later, was already back in class after her own lunch break.

But that didn’t stop her from continuing the conversation.

(It’s not like Mr Hedrick was teaching anything new, anyways.)

**Hunk: I’ve actually been looking into the garrison application process. I’ve been wanting to go there for ages and I’ll finally be old enough this fall**

**Katie: !!!!!!!!!**

**Katie: DUDE YOU TOTALLY SHOULD**

**Hunk: I want to!! But the application is pretty intensive**

**Katie: aw come on i know you can do it**

**Hunk: Thanks ^_^**

**Hunk: What about you, are you you applying?**

**Katie: still too young *eyeroll* its still a few more years till i turn 16**

**Hunk: What??**

**Katie: dude im like 12**

**Katie: i turn 13 in april**

It was a couple minutes before he responded, and Katie bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing out loud in the middle of class.

**Hunk: But you’re in high school?**

**Hunk: I’ll be honest here, I thought we were the same age O.O**

**Katie: yeah i skipped 7th and 8th grade**

**Hunk: :O**

**Hunk: You’re like a little child genius or something**

She stifled another laugh with a cough. She glanced up to make sure that the teacher hadn’t looked over, then went right back to her phone.

**Katie: yeah thats what they told me**

**Katie: probably explains why this class is so fucking boring**

**Hunk: LANGUAGE**

**Hunk: Wait are you in class right now??**

**Katie: ....quite possibly**

**Hunk: Get off your phone, young lady, and pay attention!!**

**Katie: but i already know all thiiissssss**

**Hunk: Respect your elders**

**Katie: booooooo**

**Hunk: (•̀o•́)ง**

**Katie: omg you nerd**

**Katie: fiiiiine**

**Hunk: I’ll talk to you once you get home from school ^_^ ♥**

She smiled down at her phone screen before closing out of the messages app. Part of her was tempted to just pull up something else—a book, or the web browser—but she stopped herself with a sigh. She turned off the phone, stuffing it into her back pocket.

Later.

* * *

**Hunk: I just thought you were really short, I didn’t realize you were a BABY**

**Katie: i hate u**

* * *

The Garrison application process was even more daunting when he was actually filling it out. In the past, when he would look it up online to mentally prepare himself for the day when he’d finally get to fill it out, it all seemed so easy.

But now, he was starting to think he was biting off more than he could chew.

Between the GPA requirements, the essay, the mechanical skills project, the letters of recommendation, the _other_ essay, the entrance exam, the preliminary engineering classes—

It was a lot.

And it was especially a lot when he had to juggle all that in addition to his regular schoolwork. Hunk glared at the pre-calc textbook open on his desk until the numbers all swam together.

He groaned, slamming the book shut and leaning back in his chair.

His phone vibrated, and he reached for it blindly.

**Katie: maybe a rover-type probe? like what you guys did for the comp. that was pretty good**

Hunk let out a long slow exhale. The physical project was causing him the most trouble at the moment, having to prove his engineering prowess by building something all on his own. It was arguably the most important part of the application, and Hunk had no clue what to do for it.

**Hunk: Yeah but if I’m going to get into the garrison then my project needs to be more than just GOOD**

**Katie: how about a robotic turtle**

**Hunk: ...why?**

**Katie: why not**

**Hunk: I can probably think of a few reasons**

**Katie: turtles are cool bro**

**Hunk: Fair enough**

A weary smile had managed to break through his look of frustration. Hunk glanced back at the pre-calc book, then sighed again as he slowly opened it back up.

One thing at a time.

* * *

**Katie: bro u should go to bed its 1am**

**Hunk: Which means it’s 2am for you, right?**

**Katie: yeaahhh but i drank coffee mixed with redbull a couple hours ago im good**

**Hunk: KATIE NO**

* * *

Matt and Sam made a point to come home on the weekends, and it was an occasion that Katie relished in.

She spent her days in Matt’s room, lying on his bed and keeping him company while he worked at his desk. She had her phone open to the messages app, idly relaying her conversation with Hunk to her brother.

“Yeah, Hunk has been working on his application for the Garrison.”

“Really?” Matt asked, spinning in his office chair. “That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, he’s going in for engineering,” she continued. “I’m really excited for him.”

“Does he need a letter of rec?”

“Um, lemme ask,” she replied, already typing.

**Katie: matt wants to know if u need a letter of rec**

It was a bit before he responded, and she watched the typing bubble appear, then disappear, then appear again. She smirked.

**Hunk: Oh my god**

**Hunk: We only met once, does he know me well enough?**

Katie rolled her eyes, reading the message out loud to Matt.

“Psh, ‘course I do,” Matt said flippantly. “I got to see his work back at the competition, and that’s the most important part, if I’m being honest.”

**Katie: dude. you guys talked for ages about engineering crap**

**Hunk: Oh gosh. I don’t want to inconvenience him at all.**

“He says he doesn’t want to inconvenience you.”

Matt let out a long groan. “Oh come _on_ , I’m already writing them for Alec and Luca, what’s one more? I _like_ Hunk.” He paused, thinking. “Here, ya know what, give me the phone.” He grabbed the phone from Katie’s hands without waiting for her response.

“Hey,” she protested, but Matt merely shushed her and continued to type away.

“There,” Matt said with a smirk as he hit send. A minute later, the phone vibrated, and Matt cackled, already typing a response.

“What did you _say_?!” Katie demanded, lunging for the phone.

Matt easily evaded her reach. “You’ll see,” he said cryptically. “But I think I’ve gotten through to him.”

When the phone went off again, Matt let out a cheer. “Alright,” he said triumphantly, tossing the phone back to Katie. “We are a go!”

* * *

**Hunk: Happy birthday!!! (＾▽＾)**

**Katie: im officially a teenager bitch!!**

**Hunk: LANGUAGE!**

**Hunk: Jeez Katie you’re a little baby, you shouldn’t be saying stuff like that, you’re practically an infant!!**

**Katie: fuck**

**Hunk: /_(0{}0)_\**

* * *

It was the middle of dinner when her phone went off.

“Katie,” her mom scolded as the girl grabbed at her phone and opened the message.

Katie ignored her, waving her hand impatiently. “Shh, it’s important!”

“Katherine, what could possibly—”

Colleen was interrupted by Katie’s sudden squeak of excitement. “He got in!!!” she squealed.

“Hunk?” Matt asked, beaming. “That’s great!”

Across the table, Sam’s eyes had lit up. “Fantastic!” he proclaimed. “Tell him congratulations for me,” he said. “I look forward to working with him.”

“Careful,” Katie warned, already typing. “You’re gonna break him.”

* * *

**Katie: dad says hes looking forward to working with you. he and matt wish you congratulations**

**Hunk: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Hunk: Thank you!!!!!!!! ＼(≧▽≦)／**

**Katie: hunk.exe has stopped working**

* * *

It was May when the Galaxy Garrison officially announced the Kerberos mission, naming the daring crew of astronauts who’d be going on the shuttle, and setting a predicted launch date in September.

The announcement made every headline imaginable, national and international news, NASA, a blurb in Katie’s high school’s newsletter, and just about every online publication in existence.

Katie was doing her homework at time, her phone stashed at the bottom of her backpack. With her headphones in, she didn’t hear it vibrating, too engrossed in her chemistry work.

She had ten new messages by the time she closed her textbook and fished out her phone.

**Hunk: DUDE!!!!!**

**Hunk: I JUST SAW THE NEWS**

**Hunk: KERBEROS??? THAT’S SO COOL!!!**

**Hunk: THIS IS SO COOL**

**Hunk: That’s literally BILLIONS OF MILES AWAY**

**Hunk: And IT’S A MANNED MISSION**

**Hunk: THE FARTHEST MANNED MISSION FROM EARTH**

**Hunk: THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING OH MY GOD**

**Hunk: I CAN’T BELIEVE YOUR DAD AND YOUR BROTHER ARE GOING TO PLUTO THIS IS SO COOL**

**Hunk: Sorry for spamming I’m just REALLY EXCITED**

She laughed, carrying her phone and her laptop onto her bed where she could stretch out more comfortably. She flopped over onto her back, holding the phone above her face.

**Katie: oh did that get announced today???**

**Katie: theyve been planning for months im so jealous**

**Hunk: Aaaaaaa this is all so exciting!**

**Hunk: I’m just**

**Hunk: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa**

**Katie: same**

**Katie: kerberos must be so cool**

**Katie: hunk lets go to outer space**

**Hunk: Let’s do it**

* * *

Garrison cadet move-in day was in mid-August.

She got his room assignment from her dad. He’d been more than happy to check the student records for her and send her a quick message with the hall name, floor, and room number.

Katie, not even 13-and-a-half, much too young to be one of the students moving in today, walked confidently down the halls, weaving in and out of parents and students.

Presently, she heard his voice up ahead, coming out of one of the many open door. An excited grin spreading across her face, she ran the last few yards to his room. Bracing her hands on the doorframe, she stuck her head into the room, shouting, “Surprise!”

Inside the room, Hunk yelped as he whirled around in shock. As soon as he caught sight of her, his guard dropped and he broke into a smile. “Katie!” He tackled her in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground.

Katie laughed. “It’s so good to see you again!”

“What are you doing here? Wait, no, stupid question.”

She giggled. “I came in with Dad and Matt. They went to do professional officey things, like boring adult paperwork or whatever.”

“Ah, the worst part of adulthood,” Hunk said, nodding sagely. “Don’t worry, Katie, you’ll understand when you’re older.”

She elbowed him. “Shut up.”

He laughed for a moment, and Katie realized that he wasn’t the only one in the room. Standing bemusedly by the closet was a woman who looked so much like Hunk she could only be his mother. She had a gentle smile on her face as she watched the two of them.

Hunk followed Katie’s gaze, and his eyes widened. “Oh, this is my mom,” he said, gesturing to the woman. “Or, well, you know. One of them.”

“Hi,” Katie said, holding out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs Garrett.”

“Please, call me Lani,” the woman said, shaking Katie’s hand. “It’s lovely to finally meet you, Katie. Hunk has told me so much about you.”

“Good things, I hope,” Katie said, casting a dry glance at Hunk. He stuck his tongue out at her, and she stuck out hers at him.

“Only the best,” Lani reassured her with a wink.

“So how have you been?” Hunk asked. “It’s so good to see you! We should, like, hang out at some point and catch up.”

“Oh!” Katie interjected. “Mom told me to invite you guys over for dinner,” she added.

Hunk gasped, and Katie could have sworn she saw stars in his eyes. “Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously,” she echoed. “Please?”

“Yes! Absolutely!” Hunk cried. He looked over to his mom. “Right? That’s okay?”

Lani smiled at her son widely. “Of course, sweetie. I’ll go find Kiana.” She squeezed Katie on the shoulder as she walked past her to head out of the room.

“Dinner,” Hunk breathed. “With Doctor Samuel Holt.”

She snorted. “I promise you, he’s a normal person. Just kind of a nerd. But hey, I mean, so are you.”

He rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Katie.”

* * *

**Hunk: The Kerberos launch is only a couple weeks away, omg**

**Katie: i knowww im so jealous**

**Katie: i might just stowaway on the shuttle tbh**

**Hunk: That sounds potentially life-threatening, please do not**

* * *

Hunk watched the Kerberos launch live on TV.

They’d only allowed family to watch from the ground, and though Katie had offered to try to sneak him in, he’d declined. Instead, he watched it on the massive projection screen that the Garrison had set up for students.

In some of the camera shots, he could make out the tiny purple-clad figure of Katie on the observation deck, standing beside her mother.

 _“This truly is a momentous day in human history,”_ the newscaster was saying. _“If successful, the Kerberos Mission will mark the farthest that anyone has traveled from Earth. We’re making history here, folks.”_

The launch was glorious. With a blast of fire and a cloud of smoke, the shuttle took off, the cameras trained on it all the way out of the atmosphere, until it was just a tiny speck against the blue of the sky. The crowd gathered in the Garrison commons room let out a cheer. Hunk’s roommate, an aspiring pilot named Lance, propped his elbow on Hunk’s shoulder.

“That’s gonna be us someday,” Lance told him with surprising conviction. “Seeing the stars, traveling to worlds never before seen.”

Hunk smiled. “I can’t wait.”

* * *

**Hunk: Oh my god**

**Hunk: Katie I’m so sorry oh my god**

**Hunk: Are you okay?**

**Hunk: Sorry, stupid question**

**Hunk: Can I do anything to help?**

**Hunk: Katie?**

**✓ Read 11:17 PM**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here’s part two! More general fun and fluff. ~~except for the end there amiright~~  
>  In like a lamb, out like a lion? haha
> 
> This was? So much fun to write? I just love these two so much  
> Hope you all enjoy!! ^_^  
> See you tomorrow for the final installation to this AU  
> As always, please feel free to come say hi to me on [my Tumblr](http://this-book-has-been-loved.tumblr.com) or[the Platonic VLD Discord server (invite code: NHYrCz5)](https://discord.gg/NHYrCz5)  
> ~Brigit


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Pidge and Hunk and Lance pick up the pieces

 

 

> _The Galaxy Garrison mission to the distant moon of Kerberos is missing, and all crew members are believed to be dead. The Galaxy Garrison has said the crash was presumably caused by pilot error. It is, indeed, a sad day for all humanity._

* * *

**Hunk: Hey Katie. Wanted to check in on you and see how you’re doing. Let me know if you need anything ♥  
✓ Read 10:42 AM**

* * *

They took the bus into town.

Despite its seemingly remote location, the Garrison base wasn’t actually too far removed from civilization. An hour-long bus ride and they were in Flagstaff.

Hunk had only ever been to the Holt’s house a couple times, but he still had the address saved from when she texted it to him months ago, before he came over for dinner.

And so the day after the news broke about the Kerberos mission failure, Hunk was standing outside the Holt’s house, tupperware in hand and Lance in tow.

“I feel like we should have called ahead,” Lance commented as they climbed the front steps.

“Katie hasn’t been answering any of my texts,” Hunk said for what must have been the tenth time since last night. “I’m worried about her.”

“Yeah, I know,” Lance placated. “But they may not appreciate the surprise visit.”

Hunk hesitated, hand already raised to ring the doorbell, before sighing and pressing the button. “Well, we’re already here. And I want to check in on her.”

They were waiting by the door for nearly a full minute, and Hunk was starting to think that Lance was right and they really shouldn’t have come, when the door opened to reveal Colleen Holt standing in the threshold.

She relaxed when she saw who it was, offering him a small smile. “Hi, Hunk,” Colleen greeted, opening the door so the two boys could enter.

“Hi, Mrs Holt,” Hunk replied, stepping inside. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks,” she said softly, closing the front door behind them. “How have you been?”

He shrugged. “Been better. But I mean, we’re here to see _you_.” He offered her the larger of the three covered dishes that the two boys had brought with them. “We made pasta.”

“And garlic bread,” Lance added, holding up the second. “Garlic bread makes everything better.”

Colleen took the spaghetti platter from Hunk gratefully. “Thank you, boys.” She set it down on the kitchen counter. “Hunk, who’s your friend?”

“Oh, right, this is Lance,” Hunk told her. “He’s my roommate.”

Lance set down the garlic bread by the pasta, leaving him holding only the smallest of the three boxes. He tucked it under his arm, freeing his other hand to shake Colleen’s. “Hey.”

She clasped his hand tightly. “Thank you both for coming,” she told them. “Katie’s up in her room. Go see if you can talk to her, alright?”

Hunk saluted, already walking towards the stairs. “That’s what we’re here for!”

“And stay for dinner, won’t you?” She called as they headed up.

“Yes, ma’am!” Lance called back.

Upstairs, Hunk stopped at the first door on the right, painted a pale mint green.

He knocked gently on her door. “Katie?”

From inside, a noncommittal groan.

“It’s Hunk,” he continued. “Can I come in?”

A pause, and then a weak, “Yeah.”

Hunk pushed the door open, slipping inside with Lance at his heels.

She was sitting up on her bed, rubbing at her eyes absently. She wore an oversized green sweatshirt that nearly drowned her—Matt’s, if he had to take a guess.

He took one look at her red-rimmed eyes and her disheveled ponytail, and wordlessly held out his arms for a hug.

Katie bit her bottom lip, choking back a strangled sob, as she stood up and collapsed into his arms.

He held her for a long time.

After a few minutes of crying into his shirt, she sniffled. “Sorry for not answering your texts.”

“That’s okay,” he murmured, rubbing her back.

“And for getting your shirt all wet.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

She pulled away, wiping at her eyes. “Thanks for coming.”

“‘Course,” he replied. “What are friends for?”

She paused, catching sight of the other person in the room (namely, Lance, who still stood by the door, awkwardly scuffing the toe of his shoe against the carpet). “Who...?”

“Oh, Katie, this is my roommate,” Hunk introduced.

“Hi,” Lance said, holding out a hand. “Sucks that we’re meeting under such awful circumstances, but it’s nice to finally meet you.” He offered her a hesitant smile.

She reached out to take his hand. “Yeah. Lance, right? The pilot.”

“That’s me,” he agreed. “Uh, here.” He held out the tupperware he was still holding towards her. “Here, we made these for you. Hunk said they were your favorite.”

She took the box curiously and pulled of the lid, revealing the pile of peanut butter cookies tucked inside. Her shoulders slumped and her face melted into a smile. “Thanks, guys.”

“We know you’re going through some hard times right now,” Hunk told her. “So if you ever need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’m here if you—”

“I don’t think they’re dead,” Katie said suddenly.

Hunk froze, exchanging confused looks with Lance. “Uh, what do you mean?”

She set the tupperware of cookies down on her desk, starting to pave the length of the room. “I’ve been thinking,” she started, “doing the math, and analyzing the data. And I don’t think they died. At least—” here, she fumbled “—at least, not how the Garrison says they did.”

Lance frowned, crossing his arms. “How?”

“It doesn’t add up,” Katie was ranting. “A _crash_? I mean, they landed _weeks_ ago!”

“Whoa, whoa, back up,” Lance said. “How do you know that? Everything about this mission has been classified.”

“Dad and Matt had a code,” she explained. “Dad would send coded transmissions to us, even when he wasn’t allowed to.” She gestured to a blocky computer-like hunk of technology that sat on her desk. “That’s the receiver, right? They’ve been talking to me since the launch. And they landed _weeks_ ago,” she raved. “And Matt’s been sending me transmissions since then every few days, giving me updates on what they’ve been doing. It’s all in my notes.” She grabbed a burgundy notebook off her desk, flipping it open to a page full of numbers and letters, with the translated messages printed neatly below.

Hunk took the notebook in fascination, flipping through the pages, reading the messages. Lance peered over his shoulder.

Katie was still staring at the receiver that sat on her desk. “Problem is, it’s a one-way communications line.”

“So you can’t send anything to them,” Hunk translated.

“Exactly,” Katie agreed. “And I know you probably just think I’m crazy and grasping at straws and that denial is just one of the stages of grief, but I _swear_ —”

“No,” Hunk interrupted. “No, you’re right. This doesn’t make sense.”

“The pilot, Takashi Shirogane, he’s like, my hero,” Lance added. “He’s broken every flight sim record the Garrison _has_. There’s no way this thing went down due to ‘pilot error’.” He made air quotes with his fingers during those last two words.

“Not to mention that they weren’t even supposed to take off from Kerberos to come back for another two weeks,” Katie said, crossing her arms. “And they would have told me if their schedule changed.”

Lance slung one arm around Hunk’s shoulders and the other around Katie’s. “Well, my friends,” he drawled, starting to smirk, “I believe we may have just stumbled upon the threads of a government conspiracy. They’re covering up something, and whatever it is, it’s gotta be big.”

“Well, they messed with the wrong family,” Katie muttered, clenching her fists. She pulled away from Lance’s grasp, walking over to her desk. “I’m not stopping until I get to the bottom of this.”

Hunk followed, handing the notebook back to her. “Neither are we.”

She opened it up and gazed at the scribbles inside. “I’m really glad you guys actually believe me,” she murmured. “I...I don’t want to do this alone.”

Hunk put a hand on her shoulder. “We got your back, Katie.”

“Actually....” She paused, swallowing back a sob. “Would you—can you call me Pidge?” She wiped at her eyes. “It was Matt’s old nickname for me, since we were kids. And it’d be nice to still hear it sometimes.”

Hunk paused, taken aback, then smiled. “Sure thing, Pidge.”

* * *

After that, the three of them started spending more time together. Lance and Hunk were quickly becoming fixtures in the Holt household (something which always seemed to brighten things, Colleen said—it was nice to have the house seem _full_ again).

They’d hole up in Pidge’s room, or downstairs when Colleen wasn’t there, talking about what they knew and what the didn’t and where to go from there.

Knowing that the Garrison was covering up something was one thing; finding out _what_ exactly they were covering up was something else entirely.

Katie—Pidge—sat with her arms crossed, one leg jiggling impatiently. “They’re hiding something and we need to figure out what.”

“First, we need to figure out how _much_ they know,” Hunk reasoned. “This could be as new to them as it is to us.”

Lance pursed his lips. “Pidge, what did they tell you? I mean, you’re the family of the so-called-deceased. They must have told you more than they told the public.”

“Not much, if I’m being honest,” she grumbled. “Iverson said that they sent probes to Kerberos after they lost contact with the shuttle, and that it looked like a crash. But they wouldn’t show us the footage when I asked.”

Hunk snapped his fingers. “So there we go. We need to get our hands on that footage.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “What are you suggesting, sneaking into the Garrison and breaking into into Iverson’s computer?” He paused. “Actually….”

“No,” Hunk said.

Pidge raised her hand. “I like that idea.”

“ _No_.”

“Can we wear ski masks?” Lance asked.

“Absolutely not.”

“Then what’s the point?”

“No, Hunk’s right, no ski masks,” Pidge said. She frowned, crossing her arms. “The problem is getting _in_ ,” she mused. “Iverson already caught me on the grounds without permission once.”

“Pidge, sweetheart,” Lance said, raising an eyebrow. “I am the _king_ of sneaking in and out of that place. Leave that to me.”

Hunk held up a hand. “I’m saying this right here, right now, on the record,” he announced. “I don’t like this plan.”

“It’s my only chance, Hunk,” Pidge pleaded. “I _need_ to see this footage!”

Hunk sighed. “I know, and I get that. I just. Worry?”

“Don’t stress about this, dude,” Pidge assured him, putting a hand on his arm. “I promise, it’s not gonna go horribly wrong this time.”

* * *

**Lance: I’m sorry you got caught**

**Pidge: nah its not your fault, i should have pulled out earlier**

**Pidge: im just glad he didnt get u guys too**

**Hunk: What’s the verdict? >.<**

**Pidge: banned for life**

**Lance: holy crow are you serious???**

**Pidge: yeppp**

**Pidge: he threatened to charge me with treason too**

**Hunk: (⊙_⊙)**

**Lance: you little felon**

**Lance: I am so proud of you**

* * *

“There’s no evidence of a crash on Kerberos at all,” Pidge reported.

The three of them had met up in a diner not too far from the Garrison proper—closer than Pidge’s house was. It was the day after Pidge’s break-in, and they’d all ordered shakes and a large of plate of fries, and settled into the corner booth to hear the story.

Lance frowned, popping a fry into his mouth. “Nothing?”

She shook her head. “Nothing at all. It’s like the shuttle just...vanished.”

Hunk took a long slow sip of his milkshake. “That’s. Really weird.”

“Yeah,” Pidge agreed, glaring into her shake. “My family _disappeared_ and they’re lying about it. Not just to me and my mom, but to the whole _world_.” She clenched her fists. “I swear, I’m gonna punch Iverson in the face.”

“So what now?” Lance asked. “What’s the next step?”

Pidge pursed her lips. “I’ve been working on modifying the receiver,” she told them. “At the moment, it’s set to the frequency that Dad and Matt used to send me transmissions. But I think if I can rework the coding a bit, and maybe upgrade some of the hardware? I can amplify the signal and start scanning for any transmissions sent from that distance.”

“To see if they got on a different frequency?”

Pidge shrugged. “If something happened to them, they might have sent some sort of distress beacon. Or any other sort of message, to the Garrison or not. Or if they’re still out there somewhere, they could still be transmitting _something_.” She sighed in exasperation, running a hand through her hair. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to pick up any of that.”

“Let me know if you need any help there,” Hunk offered.

Pidge nodded gratefully. “Thanks, Hunk.”

“Yeah, and let us know if there’s anything we can do from inside,” Lance added. “ _You_ may have been banned, but they don’t know that we were even involved with that at all.”

She shook her head. “I can’t ask that of you,” she said. “I’m okay putting myself at risk, but I’m not putting your own educations on the line here.” She drummed her fingers against the table of their booth. “No. I need to figure out how to get back inside the Garrison.”

* * *

**Pidge: I HAVE EXCITING NEWS**

**Pidge: my place 6pm**

**Pidge: there will be pizza**

**Lance: You had me at pizza**

**Hunk: I’m intrigued, but also worried. Should I be worried?**

**Pidge: see u tonight!**

* * *

The three of them took the pizza upstairs and holed themselves in Pidge’s room. Colleen was out late working, and they had the house to themselves.

Pidge spun around in her desk chair, smiling widely. “Guess who got into the Garrison!”

Lance frowned. “I thought you were banned.”

“Not to mention too young,” Hunk added.

“ _Katie Holt_ is,” she agreed. She reached for her desk, grabbing a stapled form and holding it out to them. “But Pidge Gunderson isn’t!”

Hunk took the papers from her hand, poring over them. “This is a Garrison application.”

“Yep!”

“Dude!” Lance exclaimed, wide-eyed. “Did you apply to the Garrison with a fake ID??” He looked up at her, beaming. “How the hell did you do this?”

Pidge winked. “I have my ways.”

Hunk was still reading the paperwork in awe. “Pidge Gunderson, age 17….” He paused. “Male?”

Pidge shrugged. “Part of the disguise.”

Hunk shook his head in disbelief. “This is incredible.”

“I managed to slip in under the radar as a ‘gifted orphan’,” she explained, leaning back against her desk and folding her arms smugly. “The Garrison has a federally-mandated quota to fill.”

“Katherine Pidge Holt,” Lance said reverently, “you are a force to be reckoned with.”

“And that’s not all,” she sang, practically buzzing as she pulled up something on her laptop. “Look who got paired together on the same sim team.” She pushed the laptop towards them, grinning ear to ear.

 

> **_Pilot: Lance McClain  
>  _ ** **_Engineer: Hunakai Garrett  
>  _ ** **_Communications Specialist: Pidge Gunderson_ **

Lance took one look at the screen then let out a cheer. “Oh this is gonna be _awesome_!”

Hunk’s jaw had dropped. “But—but how?!” he exclaimed. “You don’t get assigned a sim team until your second year!”

“I placed abnormally high on the entrance exam,” she replied with another wink. “So they’ve got me on the fast track.”

Lance was cackling. “This is so cool!”

Hunk gave Pidge a sidelong glance. “Have you told your mom?”

Here, Pidge faltered. “Not yet.”

He frowned. “You should do that, Pidge.”

She let out a prolonged groan, slowly slumping into her desk chair. “I’m afraid of what she’s gonna say,” she confessed. “I tried telling her about all this a while ago, but she went on about how we should ‘let wounds heal’ and that ‘denial is a stage of grief’ and all that.” She leaned forward, burying her face in her arms. “I don’t know.”

“Mmm, Hunk has a point,” Lance hazarded. “Probably not best to disappear on her too.”

Pidge sighed. “Yeah, you guys are probably right,” she mumbled. She took a deep breath, sitting up straight. “But even if she says no, that’s not gonna stop me,” she decided. “I’m doing this with or without her approval. I can’t stop when I’m this close.”

Hunk put a comforting hand on her back. “We’re in this together,” he promised her.

“Yeah,” Lance agreed. “We’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Pidge relaxed, smiling. “Okay,” she said. Then, more forcefully, “Okay.” She turned to her companions, her eyes sparkling. “Let’s go get my family back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Finally we get to the pain and hurt/comfort that I love so much_   
>  ~~also featuring Lance my favorite boy in the universe~~
> 
> Anything past this would be pretty dang similar to canon, so I’m letting it end here.  
> Thanks for joining me on this quick little adventure! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :D 
> 
> For the rest of the week, my Platonic VLD contributions will be in the form of unconnected oneshots, like I did last time (tho one of them is actually a sort-of sequel to one of my earlier fics). I’m super pumped to finish them and get them out here ^_^ I loved season 5 and I’m excited to explore the new content!
> 
> See you then!
> 
> As always, please feel free to come say hi to me on [my Tumblr](http://this-book-has-been-loved.tumblr.com) or[the Platonic VLD Discord server (invite code: NHYrCz5)](https://discord.gg/NHYrCz5)
> 
> ~Brigit


End file.
